I was lucky enough to participate in a production of chain mail carpet called "Yachiyo" at Philippe Malouin studio. It took around 3000 hours to make using basic hand tools and made from galvanised steel wire rings in a Japanese chain mail design with twelve loops attached to every two central rings.
Anyway, here's what Philippe says about his own design: “The Yachiyo metal rug is made using a very intricate form of chain mail. Having investigated various types of chain mail ranging from traditional/medieval manufacturing techniques to more contemporary, machine-made chain mail patterns, we chose to draw from the Japanese 12-in-2 method. Not only did we find this type of chain mail to be virtually indestructible, but it also created a very stable membrane — structural yet flexible — not dissimilar to a tight hand-tufted rug.”
It was displayed at
Ventura Lambrate district at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair, then its heading to the soon-to-open
Carwan gallery in Beirut, Lebanon.
More info from:
Dezeen,
Sight Unseen,
Philippe Malouin.